TikTok has been a viral sensation in the social media world over the last year or two. With over 800 million active users, it boasts the label of the fastest growing social media platform. Not only has it taken social media by storm, but it’s beginning to infiltrate B2B digital marketing! Let’s take a look at TikTok for law firms!
A decent percentage of TikTok’s user base is a younger audience, so on the surface, it might sound like there’d be limited effectiveness in the B2B space. On the contrary, however, there’s always room to fit this growing social media platform into your social strategy assuming your goals line up!
Law firms typically don’t have the most engaging or interactive social media profiles, even on the likes of Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram. TikTok is a great way of changing that picture. The platform thrives on short engaging videos, with an incredibly interactive community built on sharing.
Even though posting on TikTok might not directly result in an increased client base, it will almost certainly, if done right, result in a big increase in viewership to a brand new audience.
Why Use TikTok?
It’s important to note that while TikTok is the shiny jewel of social media at the moment, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best platform for you. There are pros and cons everywhere, so evaluate wisely before investing fully into a platform.
Law firms understandably are always tight on time, so it’s important you don’t waste it. Look at your digital marketing goals, and evaluate what you want to achieve to ensure your goals line up!
And, as the below video demonstrates, UK law can be fun – provided you find the right angle…
@legallylucy let’s demystify the money involved in becoming a lawyer #lawstudent #uklawyer ♬ original sound – LegallyLucy
TikTok is great for attracting attention. It would probably fit as part of a very long-term strategy, drawing eyeballs and association with your brand! If your law firm is looking to open its doors to new eyes, there’s room here! It’s far easier to get your 15 minutes of fame on TikTok than on any other platform.
You have a much higher chance to go viral with TikTok’s encouraging incentive for new users. On the other hand, exploring an influencer strategy involving leaders in the legal field is also a great way to significantly increase your viewership to a relevant audience. All the while you’re creating great legal content!
Or perhaps you’re trying to show:
- share some of your culture with potential employees and clients
- what your workplace looks like on the day-to-day
If that sounds like your cup of tea, let’s dive in and look at the best ways to create a successful TikTok profile for your law firm?
TikTok For Lawyers
1) Create original content
This one I suppose isn’t exclusive to TikTok. Content universally needs to be engaging, informative, and unique.
Content should ideally be:
- bite-sized
- actionable
- practical
That way you will add value for your audience. The easiest way to be unique on TikTok is to show off some personality. Everyone has a unique personality, so try and make that individual flair shine through with a bit of humour.
Finally, the TikTok algorithm likes to see writing in videos, so try to add a few text boxes where you can to help your reach.
2) Participate in trends
There are always trends emerging on social media. TikTok is no different. The community on TikTok loves to interact by competing and participating in little viral challenges and trends, so make sure you capitalise on this.
Some might not be wholly relevant for a law firm, but there will be loads that are! TikTok is probably one of the platforms you can be the most experimental on, so try something that is a little bit outside the norm.
3) Interact with the community
As aforementioned, TikTok is an incredibly interactive platform. The algorithm uses comments as a way of understanding if a video is good or not, so reply to comments and create a discussion!
Utilise both the stitch and duet features as and where you can! Don’t just focus on your profile though, comment on others’ posts, and engage. You will reap the rewards!
4) Hashtags
Hashtags are hugely important but not in the way that you might think. Other social media profiles don’t punish you for using hashtags, but on TikTok, you can clutter your post, and damage your reach.
A couple of very relevant hashtags are fine, but unless you’re a part of a trend, try to avoid unnecessary hash-tagging and instead ask a question as a part of your caption. It encourages interaction!
A final word on TikTok hashtags. The main discover page on TikTok is called the ‘For You’ page. Using 1 or 2 hashtags like #ForYou or #FYP to try and push your content onto this page wouldn’t go amiss.
5) Hide ‘Easter Eggs’ in your videos
Another way the algorithm on TikTok works is by checking how long individual users spend watching individual videos. If you manage to get users to stay on your 15-second video for 60 seconds, thereby watching it 4 times, it shows the platform your video is relevant!
For those unfamiliar with an easter egg, I don’t mean little chocolate eggs. An easter egg is a secret or hidden bonus feature with your main content. It is a great way of getting visitors to pay attention and gives great rewatch value.
6) Short and Sweet
TikTok has a lot of noise, and users move very fast. While the platform does have space for 60-second videos, try to limit the length of your videos. If you do need to utilise the full 60 seconds of a video to create a great piece of content, don’t let that stop you.
Ultimately though, shorter videos generally have a far greater engagement, viewership, and rewatch quality with TikTok audiences.
7) Link your website & other social media channels
Unlike some other social media sites, TikTok has the ability to link multiple channels in your bio right at the top of your main profile. Take advantage of this to try to drive traffic to some of your other important assets, like your website, or your other social media profiles.
Final Thoughts
There are some great benefits to using TikTok as part of your digital marketing strategy. Assuming your goals line up with what’s achievable on the platform, there is definitely room for some great content in the legal space.
Be sure to follow some of the basic rules on the platform to maximise your output, and interact with the community to build a name for yourself and your firm!
Take a look at some examples of some great TikTok content in the legal space if you’re looking for inspiration, and please contact us here if you need any other support with your digital marketing strategy!
